Listener Turn Ons (and Turn Offs)

Earlier this week I was able to interview Mark Ramsey, who is the president of Mark Ramsey Media, author of a great blog about radio and digital media and an all-around smart guy, about the growth of streaming for a freelance article I was working on.

During the course of the conversation Mark told me something that I found to be just frightening; there is a feature on Slacker Radio’s streams that enables the audience to turn the talent on or off. If a listener likes the music but thinks the DJ is just babbling incessantly, which has been known to happen, they can continue to enjoy the music without the interruptions.

That stopped me dead in my tracks. For one fleeting moment I had a vision of a world where EVERY radio, not just the streams coming from Slacker, had that switch. Even as I write this entry three days later the idea still makes me shudder.

So faithful radio person, I ask you to consider this: if that switch existed would people leave your show on or would they mute you and just listen to the music? Take a step back and try to honestly answer that question. Consider what you are offering the listener each day that would keep them from flipping that switch.